


By Any Other Name

by Meilan_Firaga



Category: Captain America (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Meet-Cute, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:14:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25682617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meilan_Firaga/pseuds/Meilan_Firaga
Summary: Sometimes Bucky takes advantage of Stark's ridiculous number of properties when he needs to get away. On one such excursion he finds his solitude invaded but maybe he doesn't quite mind.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Mantis
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20
Collections: Rare Pairs Exchange 2020





	By Any Other Name

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NekoMida](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoMida/gifts).



Private recovery locations were the best thing that Tony kept available for all of their use. He had little havens all over the world—quiet places with discrete staff that knew how to make themselves scarce when someone was in residence. With a fairly constant need to recharge his social batteries after everything H.Y.D.R.A. had put him through, Bucky made pretty frequent use of them in between missions. There were so many that he usually didn’t have to worry about sharing them with someone else looking for a little time away. Of course, ‘usually’ wasn’t the same thing as ‘always.’

She appeared in the back garden of the ‘little’ cottage in rural Ireland three days after he’d settled into his routine of aimless shuffling and staring off into space while trying to ignore the unending flood of unpleasant memories. He found her staring at a blossoming rose bush, the tiny antennae on her forehead waggling as she tilted her head from side to side. The times he’d encountered the Guardians of the Galaxy were few and far between, but he had at least seen their empath enough times not to immediately try to kill her the moment he looked out the window and found her in his line of sight. 

He watched her for a while and wracked his brain for as much information about her as he could recall. The only thing that came to mind aside from her name and powers was that everyone said she was the picture of innocence. She barely moved in all the time that he considered her, intent on the flowers. Eventually he determined that it was probably rude to keep staring when he wasn’t sure she even knew he was there—a point made by a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Steve—and he made his way outside to give her a proper introduction. He had to clear his throat three times to get her attention away from the roses.

“Uh… hi.” He rubbed nervously at the back of his neck. “Not sure if you remember me—”

“You are the one they call Sergeant Barnes.” Her dark eyes blinked up at him, the very picture of delight, and her lips drew up into a small, sweet smile. “We have met before.”

With a tiny smile of his own, Bucky nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. I wanted to make sure you knew I was here so I wouldn’t scare you.”

“Why would you scare me?” she asked, her brow furrowing. “That does not seem like I pleasant thing to do.”

“No, no it wouldn’t be.” He could feel heat rising in his cheeks and looked everywhere but at the strange alien woman. “I wouldn’t do it on purpose. I just… I have a tendency to frighten people without trying.”

“That is silly,” she insisted. “You are not frightening.”

That caught his attention. His eyes darted to her face in surprise. He found no sign of dishonesty in her expression, and something in his chest fluttered just a bit. A familiar flirty tone made its way all the way from the 1940s to the next words that came out of his mouth. “Is that right?”

“Of course. You have no fangs or claws or giant squashing rocks under which I could be crushed.”

He couldn’t help it. He laughed. “No, I definitely don’t have any of those.” He kept his eyes trained on her, fascinated by her open, guileless eyes. “I’m sorry, but what do I call you? I don’t think I ever learned your name.”

“Oh!” She clapped both hands over her mouth. “I am so sorry! It is so rude not to make introductions. I am called Mantis.” 

“Mantis,” he repeated, nodding down at her. “I won’t forget again.” They were both silent for several long moments. Bucky gave himself a little shake when he realized he’d started to lean closer while gazing into her eyes. He jammed both hands into the pockets of his jeans and took a small step back. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. I just wanted you to know you weren’t alone here.” He’d barely started to turn away when she reached out and placed a hand on the elbow of his vibranium arm.

“I have deceived you,” Mantis cried, distress in her voice. She looked down at the ground, antennae drooping. “I would not have been frightened by your presence even on accident,” she admitted quietly. “I knew you were here when I came.” As he watched she went through the same routine he’d done a few minutes before, her gaze focused everywhere but on him. “I… I needed to be away but did not wish to be alone.”

Bucky blinked, hardly sure he could believe what he’d just heard. The only person that ever sought him out for company’s sake was Steve. He couldn’t imagine why she was interested in him being the reason she wasn’t alone, but he also couldn’t imagine a single nefarious motive she might have. She was just too sweet. He turned back toward her, pulling his flesh hand from his pocket long enough to give her hand two quick pats. 

“That’s not really a deception,” he assured her. “I didn’t have to assume that you came here hoping to be totally alone. I forget that not everyone is a hermit like me that wants to shut everyone out.” He meant it to be teasing, but her face shifted into anguish. He made a mental note to laugh with Steve later about the fact that his ability to recognize when he’d said something a woman could take the wrong way worked just as well with aliens from the far side of the galaxy as it did with dames in pubs back in the forties. “Not that I don’t want you here,” he continued, laying his hand more fully over hers this time. He bent down just enough so he could catch her eye. “The right company can be way better than being alone.”

He knew it was coming before it happened, but Bucky was still fascinated to watch the tips of her antennae begin to glow. He thought he might feel something when her powers went into effect, but there was only the warmth of her hand and the tiniest pulse of energy along his skin. Her face morphed again, expressions so vivid she’d never win a hand of poker, and Mantis positively beamed up at him. His stomach flipped, and he pulled his hand away before he let that emotion settle into his veins, hoping beyond hope that she couldn’t sense his feelings through the vibranium beneath her palm. If she noticed anything she didn’t comment.

“Will you look at these strange Terran plants with me, Sergeant Barnes?” she asked, tilting her head back toward the roses. “They remind me of a story my friend told me about pretty things.”

“Terrans tell a lot of stories that involve those flowers,” he told her, leading her to a bench nearby. “Let’s sit and I’ll tell you some of them.” He turned to give her a warm smile of his own as they settled onto the bench. “And you can call me Bucky.”


End file.
